It's highly amusing to see all this discussion about the significance of above 20kHz audio, when a high percentage of systems do such a miserable job of reproducing the content below that frequency. I've heard so many examples of where the musical content is guaranteed to have nothing above 10kHz encoded, let alone 20kHz, sound very, very impressive, yet setups which are aiming for the stratosphere in terms of flatness and extension of frequency response are almost unlistenable to.

In audio, implementation is 95% of the battle, the incorporation of elements derived from conclusions of sophisticated theories of what is "correct", and necessary is 5%, if you're lucky ...

In audio, implementation is 95% of the battle, the incorporation of elements derived from conclusions of sophisticated theories of what is "correct", and necessary is 5%, if you're lucky ...

Frank

As an example of what a decent system should do, just found these yesterday; these are excellently recorded, capturing what the game is all about -- puts the the rubbishy sound clips from high end shows to shame, and just using relatively low cost gear ...

eg simply by looking at the 'evil 4558' label on the OPAs in a device, he is able to predict the outcome of a Sighted Listening Test.

Through long practice at being a pseudo Blind Listening Test guru in my previous life, I too have a not dissimilar skill. By looking at the circuit topology and also the results of certain esoteric tests, eg Hirata, I can predict the results of certain Listening Tests.

But my tests being Blind, the prediction has an accuracy which is far below JC's miraculous 100% record. Hence the NULL prediction on most of JC's stuff vs evil 4558. This is of little or no interest to this august forum.

However, Blowtorch, JC's masterpiece is special and I confidently predict some of my true golden pinnae can reliably distinguish between Blowtorch and an evil 4558 device in a properly conducted ABC Double Blind Listening Test.

THEN we ask these true golden pinnae which they prefer.

Surely this is of interest to BELIEVERS and unbelievers alike?

I'm disappointed no one has offered any true golden pinnae to take part in this test ... if it ever happens. Please suggest even remote possibilities. The ABC test will weed out the deaf ones.

Of course such a test is a major undertaking. But JC has pontificated at length on the importance of simpler tests some of which he has test equipment for.

Sadly, he declines to put his own product through these same tests. And when he has, the results must remain secret in case they confuse the FAITHFULL.

Well, I am listening through my CTC right now. Sounds pretty darn good. Of course, the most important factor that one wants at this level of sophistication is that the CTC has virtually no SIGNATURE at all. That is the test.

kgrlee,
I have never heard the Blowtorch myself and don't expect that this is going to happen, so I have not even considered that in the discussions about the circuit designs talked about here. I may not like it at all, but what is the point of that argument? I have stated that I don't take anything on faith, whether it is John's word or anyone else. As far as Golden Ears are concerned that goes the same there. Just because someone is supposed to be able to discern small differences or not does not tell me I would like what they do. They may have very different criteria than I or many others do about what we are listening to. I have personally listened to systems that are supposed to be the cats meow and I thought you have to be kidding me. A blind test will tell if you do indeed have fair hearing or not, but doesn't mean that what you think is correct I agree with, just that you can discern that there is a difference. I have my own opinion on upper frequency response myself but that doesn't mean I am correct. Not to many devices can get up there and most that do are just noise and have nothing to do with the original signal. That is one reason that I have come to despise titanium, much to much resonance and that some think is accurate sound. But that is only my opinion. I guess the thread is titled Blowtorch but that is not what I am reading here most of the time. Circuit design and how and why things are done and how that is implemented is what I am reading this thread for, not so I can make a judgement on the Blowtorch preamp. Besides, even if I decided I liked it, it is unobtainum anyway.

in fact some even stipulate that they can't hear the difference under these contorlled conditions - established in psychoacoustics ase needed - and still want us to value their opinons

I love the belief that scientists have that they have full control over the impartiality of "controlled" tests. I would like do an experiment, of such "controlled" tests, where the subjects are purely random, but the people who are running the experiments are carefully selected; at a higher level, they are the "true" subjects. And of course one group of experimenters hold strong, personal beliefs about what the outcome "should" be, in one direction, and the other group, contrary.

What odds will you give that the results of these "scientific" tests will match ...